German folklore gives us the cautionary tale of Faust—a man who traded his soul to the Devil for power and pleasure, only to lose far more than he gained. Today, many political watchers believe Elon Musk has become a modern-day Faust—and Donald Trump, his Mephistopheles.
Musk, the billionaire, anti-LGBTQ tech mogul behind Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter, pumped nearly $288 million into Trump’s 2024 campaign. In return, Trump handed Musk a high-profile government role and promised continued support for his lucrative federal contracts. But like the Devil in the old story, Trump eventually turned on Musk.
Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” threatens to kill the federal electric vehicle tax credits, directly hurting Tesla. Musk resigned from his government post and, in fury, took to Twitter, alleging that Trump is named in the sealed Jeffrey Epstein files. No evidence was provided, but the fallout was swift. Musk’s popularity tanked. His wealth dropped.
Bill Gates accused him of harming the world’s poorest. His apology to Trump may mend personal ties—but not public trust. History offers warnings. German industrialist Fritz Thyssen once funded Hitler, only to end up imprisoned by the regime he helped empower. Like Thyssen, Musk may find that dealing with devils always comes at a cost—one that history never forgets.
